Leaving IB due to health issues
Hi all,
I unfortunately have a variety of health issues that makes it pretty tough to work in IB or anywhere that that requires constant in office presence. My manager is aware to a very small degree about my problems but still is strongly encouraging 4 days in office (mandated for everyone else).
Has anyone else navigated something similar, or is ultimately the solution to leave the industry and find something with better WLB and remote flexibility.
For clarification, these are physical health problems, which is why remote work is so helpful (frequent doctor visits)
you can get ADA accommodations to WFH and miss an hour or so of work to go to doctor's appointments. this makes doing wfh / doctor's appointments legally protected activity. HR will make sure your staffer isn't preventing you from doing so as they could get in legal trouble if they dont comply to accommodations
Very good to know, thank you! Will definitely follow up with HR about this, since I suppose they’re the ones I have to send my doctors notes too anyway
I would be careful about going to HR. Your seniors will not appreciate being told what to do by HR and trust me, they can fuck up your life in a thousand other ways if they would like to. I would highly recommend trying every possible route with your team directly first. Only go directly to HR as a last resort and in that case, be prepared that your seniors are unlikely to appreciate it. Moreover, HR is not your friend. They don't give a fuck about you, they just want to protect the company and put it in the best light possible.
Not exactly the same, but I suffered from some prostate issues that resulted in me having a lot of pain and having to visit the restroom very frequently. Obviously, no health issue gets better from working in a high-stress environment for 100+ hours a week with severe sleep deprivation. I never told anyone and just suffered through being in the office 5 days a week because it was just a 6-month off-cycle internship. I would definitely not recommend taking the approach I did. I just suffered through it because I needed that return offer to use it as leverage when going into another industry. The way I see it there are a few different options you have.
I'm not sure what type of health issues you have, but IB is a very rough industry as is and suffering those extreme hours with health issues is a real nightmare. If there is even a small chance that your health issues can be resolved, I would seriously consider switching to another job with a better WLB so that you can focus on your recovery. My health issues are almost completely resolved now because I take the time to stretch and exercise daily, get enough sleep, take care of my nutrition, and have less stress in my life. Feeling like shit due to sleep deprivation and high stress during your analyst years is one thing, but no job is worth sacrificing your long-term health over.
If you decide that you want to remain in IB, I would highly recommend being honest to someone about it. This might be your staffer, a VP / MD on your projects etc. Just use your own judgement and be careful though. IB is a rough industry and it's rare to have understanding seniors that truly care about your well-being. If your seniors are the "shut up or find another job" type of people, then don't bring it up at all. If you have a good connection with them, know that they are happy with your work and feel that they would be supportive then go for it. Meanwhile, be aware that they are unlikely to be completely flexible. IB relies heavily on facetime and it's unlikely that they would allow full WFH.
Lastly, you can bend the rules depending on how strict your bank is about the in-office policy. I did my internship at a very sweaty place (think sweaty group of GS / MS / JPM) where office presence was mandatory 5 days a week. You needed a legit excuse and you needed to tell the staffer if you wouldn't be in the office. However, there were no requirements about how long people needed to be in the office. So you would see a lot of analysts coming in after lunch and then leaving around dinner time (7-8 pm). Some analysts even left before dinner time, so their office hours were from 1 pm to 6 pm. If you're gonna play it like this, be sure that you deliver amazing work and are always available when you're not in the office. Otherwise, people will just see you as someone who's slacking and that flexibility will be taken away quite quickly.
The doctors are saying stress is likely causing / making my issues worse.
Not sure how to navigate that and feel very dejected right now
From my point of view, no job is worth sacrificing your health over. No amount of money or prestige will make up for how bad health issues make you feel. With that said, only you can make that decision as only you have full insight into your current health issues and career.
If it's a temporary health issue that will likely go away in a few months then it might be worth sticking it out. If it's a long-term issue that requires a lot of effort to recover from that will only get worse from stress, lack of exercise, lack of sleep and bad nutrition then it might be worth trying to leave ASAP. It also depends on what opportunities you have. If you have really good exit opportunities and can easily find a 40-hour week job with great flexibility and salary then that makes stuff much easier. If you have really bad exit opportunities and would induce significant harm to your long-term career then it's a more difficult decision.
You can also try doing stuff in smaller steps. Take a week or two of vacation. If your health issues get much better during that time, you've found a clear trigger for your symptoms and should do everything you can to get rid of that trigger. You could also try getting a few months unpaid leave if you think that will allow you to improve / recover from your health issues.
If I were in your shoes, I would do everything in my power to recover from the health issues or at the very least minimize the symptoms from them. No amount of money or prestige will make you happy if you're suffering from serious health issues. I would rather work at Burger King and be healthy than working at GS and constantly suffering from severe health issues.
Please direct message me
I also had physical health issues that made it nearly impossible for me to come into the office. I reached out to HR for an accommodation and was still denied despite my doctors repeatedly telling them it was necessary. I ended up leaving the group as a result and have been better than ever. Would highly recommend looking into new jobs / lateralling to new groups with better WLB so that you can address the issues before they get worse.
Moral of the story: HR does not care about your health problems, regardless of the fact that they need to accommodate for these type of things
hi analyst
I agree with your assessment, that if you have some physical disability it will be very hard for you to be a successful banker in the longer term
That being said, as a junior resource you are really a spreadsheet jocky and there is no reason that HR shouldn't be able to honor an ADA disability request.
In the interest of growing your career I'd make an attempt - not saying it's possible - but an attempt to stay in the game until VP. I would be very difficult with your firm and place a formal workplace accommodation request as long as it's reasonable. As others have said the seniors will likely retaliate and you'll get some blowback (they shouldn't, but they will).
Nevertheless I'd try to stay in the firm every day you can until they push you out. That's just my 2c
I wouldn't recommend this. It's a horrible experience to be at a place where you know you aren't wanted. Moreover, it will fuck up your references and make your career difficult (especially in this market).
No interest in staying past my analyst program regardless of health issues. Want to move to tech instead for better culture and wlb. Don’t care about comp anymore
Doesn't matter
At this young, tender age I think it's really important that the OP survives 2+ years in banking. Not out of moral duty or anything, but because his/her exit ops will be so so much better.
It doesn't matter if your coworkers hate you, or make it difficult for you. It doesn't matter if you're the worlds worst IB analyst. And it doesn't matter if you hate every single day. You just need to survive a bit longer so you can get off to a great, exciting, more flexible role in the future. Having a documented paper trail will ensure they don't surprise fire you, and it will ultimately help with your exit negotiations when they inevitably do.
I have multiple friends who've work at McK, GS, HL and other firms in special sits groups, RX, etc with disabilities. Depending on the country and context... McK Mexico for example, they might be less friendly. However at top firms they all have an interest in not causing a scene... so they might casually suggest you find another role but also help you with that process so as to lower their liability and brand impact. So I definitely think you want to go the documentation route. Even if folks dislike you for it.
Btw I have a very serious disability and have survived in some very high performing environments. OP, feel free to msg me if you'd like to speak.
Thank you, just PM'd
Great points but OP's exit ops might be being confined to a hospital bed if he keeps "powering through it" Personally I don't care if my exit opps are CEO for a F500 company vs Multi-Millionaire entrepreneur if it means my health meaningfully deteriorates because of sticking it out
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